Trap.



NrrED STATES JOHN DANIEL OLINGER, OF FINOASTLE, KENTUCKY.

T RA P.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 639,606, dated December19, 1899. Application filed August 4, 1399 fierial No. 726,127. (Nomodel.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OHNVDANIEL OLINGER, of Fineastle, in the county ofLee and State of Kentucky, have invented a new and useful Improvement inTraps, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple, economic, andeffective trap for large or for small game, which may be easily andquickly set, and which when sprung will securely hold the captive.

Another object of the invention is to so construct the improved trapthat the captured animal cannot use its teeth to release itself, sincemeans are provided whereby the impaled member cannot be reached by theaninlals mouth.

A further object of theinvention. is to so construct the trap that atouch upon the trigger will be sufficient to cause the sliding jaw to beimmediately released and forced to a retaining engagement with theobject upon the trigger.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of theseveral parts,as will be hereinafter fully set forth,and pointed out inthe claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a plan view of the improved trap set. Fig. 2 is alongitudinal vertical section taken through the central portion of thetrap with its trigger set. Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, thetrigger having been sprung; and Fig. 4 is a transverse section.

The casing A of the trap may be of any approved form. In the drawings,however, it is shownof diamond or coffin-like shape. The said casing maybe made of any desired material and comprises vertical closed sides 10,vertical closed ends 11, and a bottom 12, together with a transversepartition 13, located within the casing and extending from side to sideat a point between the center and one end. The space between theopposite end of the casing and the partition 13 is partially covered bya top plate or board 14., a portion only of which is shown in Fig. 1,and a transverse opening 15 is provided at the top of the casing,between the top board or plate 14 and the partition 13. This opening isfor the purpose of permitting an animal to tread upon a trigger, to behereinafter described. The opposite end of the casing is closed by acover 16, that is attached not only to the end member of the casing, butlikewise to the partition 13. It will be understood, however, that asfar as the construction of the casing is concerned it may terminate atthe parti tion 13.

A bearing 17 is secured upon the bottom 12 of the casing beneath thecover board or plate 14, and this bearing 17 is practically U-shaped incross-section, comprising spaced sides and a bottom connecting thesides. A lever 18 is fulcru med between the sides of the bearing 17 atits inner end, and the inner end portion of the lever 18 is in the shapeof a circular trigger 19, which extends into the open space 15 of thecasing, as shown in Fig. 1. The upper surface 20 of the outer end ofthis trigger-lever 18 is inclined from the top downwardly and outwardly,as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, and the trigger-lever operates in conjunctionwith a latch-lever 21, also fulcrumed between the sides of the bearing17; but the fulcrum of the latch-lever is at a point higher than thepoint of the trigger-lever. Theinner end 22 of the latch-lever isbeveled from the top downwardly and outwardly to meet thecorrespondingly-beveled surface of the trigger-lever, and when these twosurfaces are in engagement the trigger 19 will be horizontal and thelatch-lever will have an upward and outward inclination, as shown inFig. 2, being held at such inclination by means of a spring 24., whichbears against the under surface of the latch-lever at its outer end. Atthe upper face of the latch-lever, near its outer end, a shoulder 23 ora projection or its equivalent is formed.

A retaining-jaw 25 operates in conjunction with the trigger and latchlevers. The inner end of the jaw 25 is much wider than its other portionand is provided with teeth 26 of any desired character. I adapted toslide in grooves 27, that extend longitudinally and horizontally in theinner side faces of blocks 28 and in the inner end faces of said blocks,as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, and these blocks or guides-28 aremade to fit against the sides of the casing The retaining-jaw 25 isbeneath the cover plate or board 14:, one at each side of the bearing17. Braces 29 are usually located between the said bearing and the saidguide-blocks, as shown in Fig. 4.. The grooves 27 in the inner endportions of the guide-blocks are made deep enough to accommodate thewidened inner portion of the retaining-jaw when it is drawn backward orset.

The retaining-j aw is provided with a recess 29 in its under face, andwhen said retaining-jaw is drawn outward or back to be set, as shown inFigs. 1 and 2, the shoulder 23 or offset of the latch-lever will enterthe said rece'ss 29 and normally hold the retaining-jaw in its setposition.

A handle-bar 30 is loosely passed through an end of the casing, and atthe inner end of the handle-bar 30 an enlargement 31 is formed, securedto the upper face of the retainingjaw at its center by a screw 32 or itsequivalent, and a crank-arm 33 is formed at the outer end of thehandle-bar. A spring 34 is coiled around the handle-bar, having bearingagainst a suitable offset adjacent to the enlargement 31 and likewiseagainst the inner face of the end of the casing through which thehandle-bar is passed. The retaining-jaw 25 is drawn outward or backwardto its set position through the medium of the handle-bar, and when theretaining-jaw is set the spring 35 is placed under tension, as shown inFigs. 1 and 2.

In operation the moment the animal places a member of its anatomy on thetrigger 19 of the lever 18 the said trigger is carried downward and thelever end upward, thus forcing the inner end of the latch-lever likewiseupward and its outer end downward, as shown in Fig. 3, and at thismovement of the latchlever it is released from the retaining-jaw,whereupon the spring 34 on the handle-bar 30 immediately acts to forcethe retaining-jaw inward or in direction of the partition 13 andwillhold that member of the animal placed on the trigger firmly against thesaid partition through the medium of the teeth 36 at the inner end ofsaid retaining-jaw.

This trap is exceedingly simple, durable, and economic and may be set byany person of ordinary strength. Furthermore, it is capable of beingquickly set and quickly sprung. The construction of the trap is alsosuch that when a leg of an animal, for example, is held by theretaining-jaw it will be impossible for 5 5 said spring being alsolocated within the casin g, a latch-lever arrangedin locking engage mentwith the said jaw, a second lever arranged to trip the latch-lever, bothof said levers being located within the casin g and be low the jaw, thetripping-lever being provided with a trigger arranged below the openingin the top of the easing.

2. In a trap, a casing havingits sides, ends and bottom closed, a jawmounted to slide horizontally in the said casing, a partition indirection of which the jaw travels, a spring controlling the movement ofthe jaw in one direction, a latch-lever arranged for locking engagementwith the said jaw, and a second lever arranged to trip the latch-leverand provided with a trigger over which the jaw is adapted to move, thepivotal point of the latch-lever being above the pivot of thetrigger-carrying lever, as specified.

3. In a trap, the combination, with a casing, a jaw held to slide insaid casing, having a keeper at its bottom surface, a handle-barattached to the said jaw and extending out through the casing, and aspring coiled around the handle-bar within the casing, having bearing atone end against a portion of the said bar and at its opposite endagainst a fixed object, of a latch-lever arranged for direct lockingengagement with the keeper of the jaw, a spring for normally maintainingthe latch-lever in position to lock with the jaw, a trigger over whichthe jaw is arranged to slide, and a lever constituting a portion of saidtrigger and arranged when the trigger is depressed to force thelatch-lever from locking engagement with the sliding jaw, as described.

JOHN DANIEL OLINGER.

Witnesses:

J. H. EVANS, JOHN SIZEMORE.

